Aquarium explosion in Shanghai blamed on material aging

China Central Television (CCTV) - The aquarium explosion happened in Shanghai was blamed on the aging of the aquarium material, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Sixteen people were injured after a large decorative aquarium installed in an exterior wall of a shopping mall in the city exploded on December 18.

"According to the experts' preliminary determination, the major reason is the brittle rupture of the aquarium under low temperature after long-time usage. To be specific, the brittle temperature of the aquarium material is 9.2 degrees Celsius. The outer side of the aquarium facing the street, especially the upper part above water, is very likely to rupture when the surrounding temperature is lower than 9.2 degrees Celsius," saidShen Weizhong, deputy head of Shanghai Bureau of Safe Production Supervision and Administration.

The eight-meter-long, five-meter-tall aquarium was made of thick glass. Among the debris spread over the ground, some of the glass pieces were 20 centimeters thick.

"I was just walking by and heard the explosion of this water tank. [There was] just a pop sound, and then water came out," said a witness.

A cosmetics counter that was near the aquarium collapsed in the explosion.

"The cosmetics counter had already collapsed. The salesperson was pulled out by other people," said another witness.

All injured had cuts from the glass debris, and one, a tourist from Beijing, suffered bone fractures and was sent to a nearby hospital for operation.

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